Sub Minnesota arrives at new homeport in Groton

Jan. 13, 2014 - 10:30PM
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Crew on the deck of the Virginia class attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) wave to family Jan. 10 as the sub transits the Thames River en-route to the Navy submarine base in Groton, Conn. (Sean D. Elliot / The (New London, Conn.) Day via A)

GROTON, CONN. — A newly built attack submarine that will be among the first in the Navy to welcome female officers has arrived at its homeport in Connecticut.

In October Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced that USS Minnesota will be among the attack subs to take aboard female officers by early 2015. Female officers joined the crews of larger, ballistic-missile submarines in 2011.

The submarine arrived Friday at Naval Submarine Base New London from Virginia, where it was built under a partnership between Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The 377-foot-long submarine has a crew of more than 130 sailors and is designed for missions ranging from attacking targets on land with missiles to delivering special forces.